Memory medium, in particular a dvd disc, storing interactive movies

ABSTRACT

The present invention concerns a memory medium storing a set of sub-movies and one or more graphic interfaces, readable by a video player having a display on which it is apt to play at least one sequence of two or more sub-movies conditional on one or more selections made by at least one user through at least one control device apt to interact with the video player, characterised in that at least one of said one or more selections is made at the end of playing a first sub-movie for selecting a second sub-movie from a sub-set of sub-movies corresponding to the first sub-movie, at the end of playing the first sub-movie being displayed on the display at least one interface, corresponding to the first sub-movie, of said one or more graphic interfaces. 
     The present invention further concerns the apparatuses and the instruments cooperating with the medium.

The present invention concerns a memory medium, in particular a DVD(“Digital Versatile Disk”) disc, storing interactive movies, thatallows, in a reliable, simple, and inexpensive way, playing at least onesequence of two or more sub-movies conditional on one or more selectionsmade by at least one user.

The present invention further concerns the apparatuses and theinstruments cooperating with the medium.

It is known that training and instructive updating activities arepresently essential in both academic field, obviously, and industrialfield, including in the latter definition companies having personnelinvolved in technological development and/or personnel involved inmarketing and commercialisation of company goods or services. The needfor such instructive activities is being increasingly diffusing due tohigh dynamicity that presently characterises most of the technologicalfields and to the high competition among companies, that causes newcommercial assistance activities to be created.

In order to maintain its competitiveness, it is therefore necessary fora company (as well as for a research institution such as a school or auniversity) to continuously carry out training of new personnel, such asagents, representatives, commercial and technical operators, installers(in case of a research institution, new students or researchers), andinstructive updating of the existing personnel (in case of a researchinstitution, researchers and professors).

Most of all in medium-large companies or research institutions,comprising some hundreds or even some thousands of employees, suchinstructive activities may not be easily carried out, due to the largenumber of instructors needed and the consequent instructiondisuniformity, both in time and in contents.

A further drawback of training carried out by means of an instructor isthat supplied courses are often not enough pleasant for students,causing a poor attention and assimilation of instructive contents,besides not satisfying, due to the unforeseeable development of a roomlesson, those specific aspects, which have to be preliminarily carefullyscheduled, that didactic psychology indicates as necessary formaximising the learning level.

Presently available remote training (e.g. through Internet link orthrough CDROM storing courses) systems may only partly solve the problemof supplying courses to a plurality of persons according to some certainpsychological characteristics, but they suffer from some drawbacks.

These are mainly due to the fact that interactivity allowed to studentsis rather low, and typically limited to carrying out intermediate andfinal tests, followed by providing the correct responses to thequestions asked by the test, and (possibly except for the final test) bysuccessive section of the training course, the content of which isindependent of the specific results of the tests. Possibly, successivesection of the training course may be conditional on passing a minimummark in the preceding test. In this regard, it has to be taken accountthat a high interactivity by students is an essential characteristic formaking the learning level maximum.

Similar problems occur in the case when, a company organises, instead ofa training course, meeting for promoting a new product or service forits own customers or potential customers, meetings where it would befundamental to obtain a strong involvement of participants in order toallow a precise and complete assimilation of messages.

A similar interactivity problem presents in a different applicationfield of enjoying video movies: the entertainment one.

In fact, thanks to the interest shown by users in some pilot cases, thathas demonstrated the potential commercial success of such entertainmentforms, some technical solution apt to allow audience to directlycontribute to decide the course of a movie story are being developed. Byway of example, some solutions are known which take advantage of theinteractivity offered by the combination of television and telephony,wherein a movie course may be modified by the public, by interruptingmovie playing, asking a question to the public concerning the possiblecontinuation of the story, analysing preferences of users provided viatelephone and/or Internet, and resuming movie playing on the basis ofthe majority of recorded preferences. Similar solutions are thoseasking, within a movie theatre, to the members of the audience whichcontinuation of the story they prefer and, on the basis of responsesreceived through communications means, also local to the theatre,playing the movie selected following part that is contained in acorresponding film.

However, such technical solutions, wherein the development of a movie isdecided by the audience, suffer from the drawback of being made throughextremely complex systems, which cannot be simply applied to enjoyingforms more limited as to the number of users.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to allow, in areliable, simple, and inexpensive way, playing interactive moviesconditional on one or more selections made by at least one user.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provideapparatuses and instruments allowing playing such interactive movies.

It is therefore specific subject matter of the present invention amemory medium storing a set of sub-movies and one or more graphicinterfaces, readable by a video player having a display on which it isapt to play at least one sequence of two or more sub-movies conditionalon one or more selections made by at least one user through at least onecontrol device apt to interact with the video player, characterised inthat at least one of said one or more selections is made at the end ofplaying a first sub-movie for selecting a second sub-movie from asub-set of sub-movies corresponding to the first sub-movie, at the endof playing the first sub-movie being displayed on the display at leastone interface, corresponding to the first sub-movie, of said one or moregraphic interfaces.

Always according to the invention, at least one sub-movie of said setmay comprise two or more video and/or audio component sequences.

Still according to the invention, at least two sub-movies of said setmay comprise at least one same video and/or audio component sequence.

Furthermore according to the invention, said medium may store, for eachsub-movie comprising two or more video sequences and/or audiocomponents, references or pointers to the memory locations of the mediumstoring the corresponding video and/or audio component sequences.

Always according to the invention, said at least one interfacecorresponding to the first sub-movie may comprise at least twoselectable fields.

Still according to the invention, at least one of said at least twoselectable fields may be a text field.

Furthermore according to the invention, said at least one interfacecorresponding to the first sub-movie may show at least one question.

Always according to the invention, said at least one interfacecorresponding to the first sub-movie may comprise at least one panelshowing an image and/or a video and/or audio sequence.

Still according to the invention, said at least one interfacecorresponding to the first sub-movie may comprise at least one videoand/or audio sequence that is played during display of the correspondinginterface.

Furthermore according to the invention, said medium may be a DVD(“Digital Versatile Disk”) disc, or a CDROM disc, or a USB memory card.

It is also specific subject matter of the present invention anelectronic file comprising at least one data structure storing a set ofsub-movies and one or more graphic interfaces, apt to be stored on thepreviously described memory medium.

It is still specific subject matter of the present invention anelectric, magnetic, or electromagnetic signal modulated by aninformation signal, characterised in that said information signalcomprises the just described electronic file.

It is further specific subject matter of the present invention a videoplaying system, comprising a video player, provided with at least onedisplay, apt to read at least one memory medium as previously described,the system comprising at least two control devices apt to interact withthe video player, the system being characterised in that it comprises adevice for receiving peripheral selection signals coming from said atleast two control devices, the receiving device transmitting a centralselection signal towards the video player upon reception of a minimumnumber of peripheral selection signals, the central selection signalcorresponding to the majority peripheral selection signal among thosereceived by the device

Always according to the invention, said receiving device may be apt torecognise the control devices from which said peripheral selectionsignals come.

Still according to the invention, the receiving device may transmit acentral selection signal towards the video player upon reception of aminimum number of peripheral selection signals corresponding to the sameselection.

Furthermore according to the invention, the receiving device may beintegrated into the video player.

Always according to the invention, said system may comprise processingmeans apt to calculate at least one score depending on the interactionsof said at least two control devices with the video player.

It is always specific subject matter of the present invention a videoplaying system, comprising a video player, provided with at least onedisplay, apt to read at least one memory medium as previously described,the system comprising at least one control device apt to interact withthe video player, the system being characterised in that it comprisesprocessing means apt to calculate at least one score depending on theinteractions of said at least one control devices with the video player.

The present invention will now be described, by way of illustration andnot by way of limitation, according to its preferred embodiment, byparticularly referring to the Figures of the enclosed drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 schematically shows a system employing a preferred embodiment ofthe memory medium according to the invention;

FIG. 2 schematically shows the various steps of playing an interactivemovie stored on the medium of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3-18 show some interfaces and images of the interactive moviestored on the medium of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 19 schematically shows a second embodiment of the system employingthe memory medium according to the invention.

In the Figures, alike elements are indicated by the same referencenumbers.

Moreover, in the following description reference will be mainly made,only by way of example and not by way of limitation, to DVD discs asmemory media, but it should to be understood that that the memory mediumaccording to the invention may be of any type, e.g. a CDROM or a USBmemory card.

With reference to FIG. 1, it may be observed a system employing apreferred embodiment of the memory medium according to the inventionstoring an interactive movie.

Such medium is implemented as a DVD disc 1 storing, according to aninventive data structure, some graphic interfaces and some videosub-movies, interfaces and sub-movies being played on a display 2 (e.g.,a television) of a DVD player 3 (connected to the television 2 through acable 4). A user may interact with such graphic interfaces by means of aremote controlling device, i.e. a remote control 5, apt to transmitsignals to the DVD player 3 which, depending on the selection made bythe user on the remote control 5, plays on the display 2 a new sub-movieand/or a new graphic interface stored on the DVD disc 1.

By way of mere example and not by way of limitation, FIG. 2 shows thevarious steps of playing an interactive movie stored on the DVD disc ofFIG. 1.

At the beginning of the interactive movie playing, the display 2 showsan initial interface 11 requiring a suitable selection by a user throughthe remote control 5 in order to start playing the interactive movie. Byway of example, such interface 11 is shown in FIG. 3, where it may beread the movie title 11A (“Goldsmiths and Jewellers”) and a selectabletext 11B (“Movie start”), that the user may select through the remotecontrol 5 for making interactive movie playing by the DVD player 3start. In particular, the interactive movie, of which FIGS. 3-18 showsome interfaces and images, is a training movie related to salestechniques. Obviously, the DVD disc 1 could also store a training movierelated to a different topic, or an interactive movie the course of thestory of which could be decided by a user through the remote control 5.

Returning to FIG. 2, upon the mentioned suitable selection of theinterface 11 through the remote control 5 (by selecting the text 11B ofFIG. 3), the DVD player 3 plays on the display 2 a first sub-movie 21stored on the DVD disc 1, of which FIG. 4 shows an image 21′.

At the end of first sub-movie playing, the display 2 shows a secondinterface 12 requiring a suitable selection through the remote control5. By way of example, such interface 12 is shown in FIG. 5, where it maybe observed a question 12A and three selectable texts 12B, 12C, and 12D,corresponding to the three possible response to question 12A which theuser may select through the remote control 5.

Making reference back to FIG. 2, depending on the response selectedthrough the remote control 5, the DVD player 3 plays on the display 2one of three sub-movies stored on the DVD disc 1:

-   -   a first sub-movie 22 (corresponding to the selection of the        first selectable text 12B of FIG. 5), of which FIG. 6 shows an        image 22′, at the end of playing which the display 2 shows a        third interface 13 requiring a suitable selection from three        possible selectable options through the remote control 5;    -   a second sub-movie 23 (corresponding to the selection of the        second selectable text 12C of FIG. 5), of which FIG. 7 shows an        image 23′, at the end of playing which the display 2 shows a        fourth interface 14 requiring a suitable selection from two        possible selectable options through the remote control 5; or    -   a third sub-movie 24 (corresponding to the selection of the        third selectable text 12D of FIG. 5), of which FIG. 8 shows an        image 24′, at the end of playing which the display 2 shows a        fifth interface 15 requiring a suitable selection from four        possible selectable options through the remote control 5.

In particular, the three sub-movies 22, 23, and 24 may be different eachfrom the other, or they may at least partially coincide, for instance inthe case when two selectable responses are followed by a same sub-movieor by two respective sub-movies which, though they differently begin,have a same final video sequence. The latter possibility may forinstance occur in case of an interactive training movie, wherein thesub-movies, corresponding to each response of at least some interfaces,begin with an explanation (e.g. by just a character of the interactivemovie) of why the response is either correct or wrong, and they maycontinue with the same video sequence showing the same story episode.

Assuming that the user has selected through the remote control 5 thefirst response (i.e. the first selectable text 12B of FIG. 5), as said,the DVD player 3 plays on the display 2 the first sub-movie 22, at theend of playing which the display 2 shows a third interface 13.

By way of example, such interface 13 is shown in FIG. 9, where it may beobserved a question 13A and three selectable texts 13B, 13C, and 13D,corresponding to the three possible responses to the question 13A whichthe user may select through the remote control 5. In particular, theinterface 13 further comprises a panel 13E wherein an image and/or, morepreferably, a video sequence are shown in which one of the characters ofthe interactive movie appears (e.g. while waiting for receiving theresponse by the user and/or while verbally address again the question13A). In the case when the panel 13E shows a video sequence, that may beplayed back until one of the selectable texts 13B, 13C, and 13D isselected, this psychologically increases the attention level of theusers. Obviously, all the graphic interfaces which are shown at the endof a sub-movie for soliciting a selection by the users may be providedwith similar panels showing images and/or video sequences having varyingcontent.

Returning to FIG. 2, assuming that the user has selected through theremote control 5 the second response (i.e. the first selectable text 13Cof FIG. 9), the DVD player 3 plays on the display 2 a sub-movie 25corresponding to such response, of which FIG. 10 shows an image 25′.

At the end of playing the sub-movie 25, the display 2 shows a sixthinterface 16 requiring a suitable selection through the remote control 5of one from three different options. By way of example, such interface16 is shown in FIG. 11, where it may be observed a question 16A andthree selectable texts 16B, 16C, and 16D, corresponding to the threepossible responses to the question 16A which the user may select throughthe remote control 5.

As shown in FIG. 2, assuming that the user has selected through theremote control 5 the third response of the interface 16 (i.e. the thirdselectable text 16D of FIG. 11), the DVD player 3 plays on the display 2a sub-movie 26 corresponding to such response, of which the FIG. 12shows an image 26′. Similarly to what already seen, at the end ofplaying the sub-movie 26, the display 2 shows a seventh interface 17requiring a suitable selection through the remote control 5 of one fromfour different options. Such interface 17 is shown in FIG. 13, where itmay be observed a question 17A and four selectable texts 17B, 17C, 17D,and 17E corresponding to the four possible responses to the question 17Awhich the user may select through the remote control 5.

As shown again in FIG. 2, assuming that the user has selected throughthe remote control 5 the third response of the interface 17 (i.e. thethird selectable text 17D of FIG. 13), the DVD player 3 plays on thedisplay 2 a sub-movie 27 corresponding to such response, of which FIG.14 shows an image 27′. As above, at the end of playing the sub-movie 27,the display 2 shows an eighth interface 18 requiring a suitableselection through the remote control 5 of one from two differentoptions. The eighth interface 18 is shown in FIG. 15, where it may beobserved a question 18A, two selectable texts 18B and 18C correspondingto the two possible responses to the question 18A which the user mayselect through the remote control 5, and a panel 18D wherein an imageand/or a video sequence is shown.

Always with reference to FIG. 2, assuming that the user has selectedthrough the remote control 5 the second response of the interface 18(i.e. the second selectable text 18C of FIG. 15), the DVD player 3 playson the display 2 a sub-movie 28 corresponding to such response, of whichFIG. 16 shows an image 28′. Again, at the end of playing the sub-movie28, the display 2 shown a ninth interface 19 requiring a suitableselection through the remote control 5 of one from two differentoptions. The ninth interface 19 is shown in FIG. 17, where it may beobserved a question 19A, and two selectable texts 19B and 19Ccorresponding to the two possible responses to the question 19A whichthe user may select through the remote control 5.

As shown in FIG. 2, assuming that the user has selected through theremote control 5 the first response of the interface 19 (i.e. the firstselectable text 19B of FIG. 17), the DVD player 3 plays on the display 2a sub-movie 29 corresponding to such response, of which FIG. 18 shows animage 29′, that ends interactive movie playing.

With reference to FIG. 19, it may be observed a second embodiment of thesystem employing the memory medium according to the invention. In suchsystem, it may be observed that N remote controls 5A, 5B, . . . , 5N maymake the selections proposed through the interfaces displayed on thedisplay 2. Such selections may be independent of each other and arereceived (and recognised as independent) by a suitable device 6 that,upon reception of a minimum number M of selections, with M≦N, from the Nremote controls, i.e. upon reception of a minimum number P, with P≦N, ofselections in agreement with each other from the N remote controls,emits a selection signal 7 towards the DVD player 3. For instance, thesignal 7 may be an Infrared or IR signal as the signal of the remotecontrol 5 of the player 3. In particular, two discordant selectionscoming from the same remote control of the plurality may be handled invarious ways: for instance, the second one may be neglected, or it mayreplace the first one.

Alternatively, the device 6 for receiving and recognising the selectionsfrom the plurality of N remote controls (configurable preferablyplurality) may be integrated into the DVD player 3.

Moreover, both the embodiments of the system employing the memory mediumaccording to the invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 19, may provide that theDVD player 3 has a processing unit 8 (indicated in dashed lines inFigures), apt to calculate scores depending on the selections made bythe users (possibly, in the case of the embodiment of FIG. 19,customised scores for each remote control of the plurality), to be shownin suitable fields of special interfaces, stored on the DVD disc 1,which may be advantageously shown at the end of the interactive movieplaying for displaying scores obtained with the selections made duringplaying, for instance, a training interactive movie. In this regard,such scores may concern: the evaluation of correctness of the selectionsmade and reaction times (i.e. selection speed), which in the case of thesystem of FIG. 19 may refer to both the group of users and single users.Also, in the case of the system of FIG. 19, scores may further concern:majority and minority aggregations in the made selections, coherencecharacteristics in the selections of single users (indicative ofconstancy with which a single user has been possibly part of either themajority or the minority in the selections made), leadershipcharacteristics (indicative, for instance, of the selection promptnessby a single user with respect to the others), other statistical data.

The present invention has been described, by way of illustration and notby way of limitation, according its preferred embodiment, but it shouldbe understood that those skilled in the art can make variations and/orchanges, without so departing from the related scope of protection, asdefined by the enclosed claims.

1. A memory medium storing a set of sub-movies and one or more graphicinterfaces, readable by a DVD (“Digital Versatile Disk”) playerconnected to a display on which it is apt to play at least one sequenceof two or more sub-movies conditional on one or more selections made byat least one user through at least one control device apt to interactwith the DVD player, characterised in that said at least one controldevice interacts with the DVD player at least at the end of playing afirst sub-movie for selecting a second sub-movie from a sub-set ofsub-movies corresponding to the first sub-movie, at the end of playingthe first sub-movie being displayed on the display at least oneinterface, corresponding to the first sub-movie, of said one or moregraphic interfaces.
 2. A medium according to claim 1, characterised inthat at least one sub-movie of said set comprises two or more videoand/or audio component sequences.
 3. A medium according to claim 2,characterised in that at least two sub-movies of said set comprise atleast one same video and/or audio component sequence.
 4. A mediumaccording to claim 2, characterised in that said medium stores, for eachsub-movie comprising two or more video sequences and/or audiocomponents, references or pointers to the memory locations of the mediumstoring the corresponding video and/or audio component sequences.
 5. Amedium according to claim 1 characterised in that said at least oneinterface corresponding to the first sub-movie comprises at least twoselectable fields.
 6. A medium according to claim 5, characterised inthat at least one of said at least two selectable fields is a textfield.
 7. A medium according to claim 1, characterised in that said atleast one interface corresponding to the first sub-movie shows at leastone question.
 8. A medium according to claim 1, characterised in thatsaid at least one interface corresponding to the first sub-moviecomprises at least one panel showing an image and/or a video and/oraudio sequence.
 9. A medium according to claim 1, characterised in thatsaid at least one interface corresponding to the first sub-moviecomprises at least one video and/or audio sequence that is played duringdisplay of the corresponding interface.
 10. A medium according claim 1,characterised in that it is a DVD (“Digital Versatile Disk”) disc.
 11. Amedium according to claim 1, characterised in that it is a CDROM disc.12. A medium according to claim 1, characterised in that it is a USBcard.
 13. An electronic file comprising at least one data structurestoring a set of sub-movies and one or more graphic interfaces, apt tobe stored on the memory medium according to claim
 1. 14. An electric,magnetic, or electromagnetic signal modulated by an information signal,characterised in that said information signal comprises the electronicfile according to claim
 13. 15. A video playing system, comprising a DVDplayer, provided with at least one display, apt to read at least onememory medium according to claim 1, the system comprising at least twocontrol devices apt to interact with the DVD player, the system beingcharacterised in that it comprises a device for receiving peripheralselection signals coming from said at least two control devices, thereceiving device transmitting a central selection signal towards the DVDplayer upon reception of a minimum number (N, P) of peripheral selectionsignals, the central selection signal corresponding to the majorityperipheral selection signal among those received by the device.
 16. Asystem according to claim 15, characterised in that said receivingdevice is apt to recognise the control devices from which saidperipheral selection signals come.
 17. A system according to claim 15,characterised in that the receiving device transmits a central selectionsignal towards the DVD player upon reception of a minimum number (P) ofperipheral selection signals corresponding to the same selection.
 18. Asystem according to claim 15, characterised in that the receiving deviceis integrated into the DVD player.
 19. A system according to claim 15,characterised in that it comprises processing means apt to calculate atleast one score depending on the interactions of said at least twocontrol devices with the DVD player.
 20. A video playing system,comprising a DVD player, provided with at least one display, apt to readat least one memory medium according to claim 1, the system comprisingat least one control device apt to interact with the DVD player, thesystem being characterised in that it comprises processing means apt tocalculate at least one score depending on the interactions of said atleast one control devices with the DVD player.